Parenthood
by Tatooine92
Summary: Delta Squad is faced with an unlikely assignment when they find a little girl and must learn the finer tricks of parenting. I do not own them LucasArts and Karen Traviss do. Completely AU and written for simple entertainment.
1. The Girl in the Forest

**Chapter One - The Girl in the Forest**

It was a dark and stormy night. Well, that wasn't entirely true. It was dark, and it was certainly stormy, but the glance that Delta 62 took to his chronometer said that it was only the middle of the day. He sighed somewhat heavily before glancing quickly around to see if his squadmates had by chance heard him. They hadn't, for they just kept plodding along across the soggy terrain, the heavy raindrops splattering hard against their sturdy armor plating. If he hadn't been trained for long hikes across hundreds of miles of unfamiliar landscape on a planet that he wasn't even sure had a name, the next words out of Scorch's mouth would have been "Are we there yet?" He couldn't help it. He was beginning to tire, and he wasn't sure how long it'd been since Boss let him take a nibble from his rations. Quite frankly, he was sick and tired of wiping his visor clean every time the rain fogged it up, which was about every five minutes. But since his brothers weren't saying anything about the less-than-satisfactory conditions of their current assignment, he figured that he shouldn't either.

"Fierfek, I hate the rain," Fixer complained suddenly.

"That makes two of us, ner vod."

The words were out before Scorch knew it. Whoops. Sev snickered somewhat spitefully.

"You two are getting as wimpy as a pair of white jobs."

Scorch reached over and lightly punched Sev in the chest plate, just barely knocking the commando backward. They laughed for a minute before Boss anxiously waved his hand to silence them.

"Cut the horseplay, Deltas," he said quickly. "Let's keep focused, please?"

The boys shrugged at each other. Boss was normally quite laid-back; they couldn't figure out why he had become so terse all of a sudden. But then again, they did. There was a sudden rustle in the underbrush, and the squad stiffened. Four DC-17 rifles whirred to the ready, and they held them aimed at the bushes. Was it a bunch of Seps, or perhaps a wild, starving animal? Or was it merely a misguided local who had no idea how much firepower the four commandos wielded? But to the complete surprise of Delta Squad, it was none of those things.

A chubby-faced eighteen-month-old girl waddled out from the thick green bushes, covered in mud, dust, and a few scratches. Her curly pale blonde hair was tousled, and a few leaves were stuck to it; nevertheless, she was incredibly adorable. Her big blue eyes sparkled despite the dirty mess of her clothes and hair, and she squealed happily when she saw the commandos. Her grubby little hands shot up, as if she was begging to be picked up, and Boss exchanged a confused glance with the others.

"Just like a kit bag, Boss," Fixer suggested.

Boss shrugged and slung his rifle over his shoulder for a minute as he knelt down on the soggy ground. The little girl toddled over and crawled up into his armored arms, cooing. The other Deltas gave a laugh as she nestled herself into Boss' orange shoulder plate and sighed contentedly.

"Aww, how cute!" Scorch snickered. "Boss has his own pet baby!"

Sev chuckled darkly, crossing his arms over his chest plate. Fixer didn't say anything, but it was obvious that he was trying to stifle another laugh by covering it over with a cough. Boss glanced down at the little girl in his huge arms and sighed.

"What did I do to deserve this?" he asked, not quite sure whether she was a gift or a curse that the Force was playing on him and his squad.

No sooner had he said this than the little girl climbed up his shoulder and batted his helmet playfully. He clamped his hands around her tiny body and pulled her away from his head, trying to keep her muddy hands off his visor. He failed, for she seemed so incredibly intent on touching the orange-tinted helmet that she was almost literally holding on with tooth and claw. Scorch doubled over with laughter, and over the helmet comm, the others could just about _hear_ Boss's face redden. He sighed as he finally pulled the little girl free of his helmet. She giggled.

"All right, fine," he muttered. "You can play with the helmet as soon as we get back to base, okay?"

She squealed with glee, and Boss rose from his kneeling position on the ground. As he turned back to his squad, cradling the little girl in the crook of his left arm, he found that not one of his squadmates was saying a word. His head tilted only slightly to the side, and he smiled audibly.

"What's the matter, Scorch? You're not laughing."

"Uh, should I be, sir? I mean, you just said we're taking her—"

"Back to base. I know what I said."

"But, sir," Sev interrupted. "We don't know how to take care of . . . her."

"So? Did you know how to shoot a sniper rifle the minute you came out of the pod?"

"That's not funny." Sev cradled his favorite sniper rifle protectively.

"Aww, come on, Sev," Fixer interjected. "She's cute. Let's keep her. Besides, how much trouble can one kid her size be?"


	2. Sarah Maria

**Chapter Two - Sarah Maria**

Fixer regretted his words as soon as the squad returned to base. First off, they had to smuggle the girl (whose name—Sarah Maria—they'd found written on the label on the inside of her little pink dress) into the barracks, which was no easy task since a Republic commando lacks hiding places in his armor. Then, as soon as they got little Sarah Maria to their quarters, Boss made the mistake of letting her out of his grasp. She scurried around the room, giggling, as she rifled through just about everything the Deltas owned. She almost got into Scorch's secret stash of explosives and nearly blew them all to that great training ground in the sky, but Scorch made a mad lunge for his precious grenades before she got to them. The box of grenades promptly went on a very high shelf far out of Sarah Maria's reach.

The boys had only had her one afternoon before they almost got caught. The sergeants made a surprise barracks inspection, and Delta had to hurry to get her hidden before their quarters were visited. They almost didn't make it, for hiding places in a sparsely decorated Republic barracks are hard to find. Having nowhere else to turn, Sev eventually grabbed Sarah Maria, tossed her into his kit bag, and shoved her underneath his bunk. This hasty and somewhat cruel act left Scorch's mouth hanging open, but if Sev hadn't done it, Sarah Maria would have been confiscated from them and turned over to social services while they went in for court martials. As soon as the sergeants completed their inspection and left, Scorch, Fixer, and Boss made a dash to retrieve Sarah Maria from Sev's sack. When they pulled her out, the poor child was frightened and nearly in tears, but Boss quickly calmed her by letting her hold his helmet as he'd promised. She soon began to giggle happily as she played with the orange helmet, rolling it back and forth across the floor to Fixer and Scorch in a little game that kept her smiling. She grinned until Boss got nervous every time he watched his helmet go rolling across the barracks floor like a ball.

"All right, that's it," he said with a hint of exasperation as he bent down to pick up his helmet. He rubbed it clean on the front of his shirt, studying it with a critical eye. "This is expensive tech, boys. If you want a ball, head down to the rec hall and swipe one."

There was a gurgle from Sarah Maria, and all eyes fell on her. Her big blue eyes had gotten even bigger, and they glistened in a way that just screamed the news that she was about to cry. Her bottom lip poked out farther than her top one, and it trembled for a moment before it happened. She didn't scream bloody murder, and she didn't kick or throw a tantrum, but she did _cry_, and that was what got Boss right through the heart. Scorch skittered across the floor and gathered the child into his arms.

"Now, look at what you've done, Boss," he chided. "You made her cry!"

"You know I didn't mean—"

Scorch shot him one "look" before turning back to Sarah Maria. He got down on her level, up-close-and-personal with her. His brothers half-expected him to start cooing and talking in baby babble, but he didn't. He just cuddled with her for a minute before reaching over to his bunk and grabbing his own helmet. Sarah Maria's face lit up as he held it out to her, and her fat little hands latched onto it in a heartbeat. She giggled as Scorch lightly tickled her tummy. The others just stared.

"The boy's a natural," Fixer marveled.

"He's gone soft," Sev growled, flopping onto his side on his bunk to try to grab some shut-eye.

Boss knelt beside Scorch and Sarah Maria, leaning over and mussing the little girl's curly hair. She was still a little dirty from her walk through the woods, but they had made an effort to clean her up. When Boss stroked her hair, she gave a quiet coo before reaching up and swatting him lightly across the jaw. Boss stared and Scorch snickered as she gave her own scolding, complete with a shake of her chubby little index finger.

"No, no, honey."

"She talks?!" It was Fixer and Sev—who suddenly found this more interesting than a nap for some reason—expressing their surprise simultaneously.

"Not only that, but she also punishes bad behavior!" Scorch laughed. "Boss took her toy from her, and he got a smack in the face. Isn't that so, vod?"

Boss blushed slightly before frowning. As adorable as Sarah Maria was, and as attached to her as Scorch seemed to be already, he knew that rough times were ahead for Delta Squad if they kept her. Playing with a baby was one thing. Taking care of one was something entirely different.


	3. Exercise in Baby Care

**Chapter Three - Exercise in Baby Care**

The trouble began late that night when they were all tucked snugly in their bunks and Sarah Maria was sound asleep in an empty plasteel crate that served as her bed. Of course, it was lined with a few extra blankets to make it comfortable, so she didn't seem to mind that she was sleeping in a crate. She had Scorch's helmet tucked under her arm, and when they had put her to bed, Boss had hoped to high heaven that the sergeants would not walk in and see what they were doing. But now they were all asleep . . . for the time being. Boss awoke about oh-one-hundred to the feeling of someone prodding his side. He rolled over with a groan and found Scorch staring at him.

"Give me your worst-case scenario," Scorch said, nearly whispering.

"Whaa—?" Boss was confused. "Ner vod, you've lost your mind."

"No, seriously, just give it to me."

Boss sighed and rubbed his face with his hands before sitting up on his elbows.

"All right, fine. We're on a contested world with Seps on every side. We're out of ammo, you're out of grenades, and there will be no reinforcements. How's that?"

Scorch shook his head.

"Try 'Sarah Maria's hungry and they don't allow food in the barracks,' and you'll be much, _much_ closer."

"Oh, fierfek." Boss smacked his forehead with the heel of his hand, sighing heavily. "So _now_ what do we do?"

"How should I know?" Scorch shrugged. "I've never taken care of a baby before. Besides, _you're_ the guy in charge who brought her with us in the first place."

Boss opened his mouth to make a snappish comeback when Fixer appeared at the door of the 'fresher, holding a fussy Sarah Maria in his arms.

"Uh, Deltas, we have a problem," he said, paling audibly.

Scorch and Boss wheeled around, and Fixer held the toddler out to them.

"Anybody here know how to change baby riggin's?" he said with a weak chuckle.

"Baby whats?" Scorch questioned.

"Riggin's. You know, what she wears under her dress . . . ?"

"_Diapers_, Fixer," Boss sighed.

"Oh. Them too. Does anybody know how or not? Because, I mean, I'm guessing that no one ever taught her to use the 'fresher . . ."

Boss smacked his forehead with the heel of his hand, and Scorch groaned. Heaving a sigh, Boss climbed out of bed and shuffled across the room to Sev's bunk, where he promptly whacked the sleeping commando across the shoulder with his fist. Sev leaped nearly straight up out of his bunk, muttering curses in a wide variety of alien languages. Boss sighed, rolling his eyes and brushing a hand through his cropped black hair.

"Easy, vod, it's just me."

Sev mumbled an apology as he swung his legs over the side of the bunk and leaned out into the room. Boss reached out and put a hand on Sev's shoulder.

"How are you for search-and-retrieval?"

"I much prefer a tag-and-bag op, sir, but that's why you're in charge and I'm not."

"Glad to hear you're so cooperative." Boss clapped him eagerly on the back. "Because you're the lucky commando who's going to sneak downstairs to the mess hall and swipe some food for Sarah Maria."

Sev grumbled as he rolled out of his bunk and padded across the room to the door. Boss turned back toward Fixer, who was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the predicament in which he found himself.

"A little help would be quite welcome, sir," Fixer said uneasily.

"Oh, I know, I know," Boss answered. "I'm just trying to think of _where_ we can find diapers and _who_ would change hers."

"I say we use _his_ undershirts," Fixer growled, glaring at Scorch. "And we get _him_ to do it!"

"WHAT?!" Scorch leaped from the floor and pointed both index fingers at himself in disbelief. "ME?! What for?!"

"Well, you're always saying how you'd like a family after the war," Fixer answered suavely, striding into the darkened room and deftly handing Sarah Maria to Scorch. "Here's your chance for practice."

"Besides," Sev—who had not yet left on his assignment—interjected with a snicker, "I think a little _change_ might be good for you!"

"Oh, fierfek," Scorch muttered as he glanced down to Sarah Maria, who had begun to cry quite bitterly.

Fixer answered with a chuckle as he leaned over to Scorch's bunk and lobbed a rolled-up tee-shirt at him. It hit Scorch almost directly in the face, and he shot a nasty look at Fixer as he reluctantly headed to the 'fresher to try to figure out just how to change a baby. Sev was nearly doubled-over with laughter as he headed down to the mess hall to relieve them of their leftovers.


	4. More Practice for the Boys

**Chapter Four - More Practice for the Boys**

Only about ten minutes passed before Sev returned, a small paper sack tucked under his arm. Boss met him at the door and quickly grabbed the bag from him.

"What'd you get?" he asked.

"Stuff I _know_ babies can eat," Sev answered, quite proudly. "I took tonight's dinner and stuck it in the food processor down in the kitchen."

"Oh, Sev," Boss groaned. "That's gonna make her sick!"

"_We_ eat it all the time and _we_ don't get sick."

"Yes, but we're not eighteen months old, either."

Sev huffed and returned to his bunk, where he promptly collapsed into it. After about a minute, he rolled over and propped his head up in his hand.

"So . . . How's Scorch doing?" he asked with a chuckle.

Boss ignored him for a minute, looking at the little container of mashed-up leftovers with an air of disgust. Sighing, he tucked Sarah Maria's dinner back into its paper sack.

"If this doesn't kill her, then she has a stomach of plasteel," he muttered.

"I said, 'How's Scorch doing?'" Sev repeated, a little louder this time.

Boss looked up, trying not to laugh.

"He's . . . uhh . . . He's doing all right, I guess."

If Boss had been attempting to lie, he failed, for at that moment, two sounds came from the vicinity of the 'fresher. The first was the sound of poor Scorch evidently gagging, and the second was of Fixer laughing his head off. Sev only looked at Boss once before he lost it and doubled over with laughter. Boss simply closed his eyes with a sigh and rubbed his forehead with his middle finger while stifling a snicker of his own. After a couple of minutes, Scorch staggered out of the 'fresher, looking quite pale. He thrust a contentedly cooing Sarah Maria into Fixer's arms before stumbling to his bunk and collapsing into it.

"Too much for you, eh, vod?" Sev sniggered.

The only reply was a weak groan from Scorch. Boss chuckled as he took Sarah Maria from Fixer and sat the little girl down on his lap. He balanced her on his knee for a minute as he fumbled around in the paper sack for her dinner and a spoon. As soon as he had pulled the spoon from the sack, Sarah Maria reached out her chubby little hand and grabbed it from him.

"Eat!" she demanded, jabbing the spoon at the container Boss held.

"Only if you say 'please,' young lady," Boss reprimanded, cracking open lid.

"_Please_."

The other Deltas began to stare as she stuck her spoon into the bowl and promptly shoveled some of her dinner into her mouth. They waited expectantly to see what her reaction would be to it as she mushed it around in her mouth for a minute before swallowing. Boss held the bowl away from her in case her reaction was what he was expecting. However, it was exactly the opposite. Sarah Maria pounded the handle of her spoon into her leg, grinning.

"More!"

A collective gasp went up from the boys as she continued to feed herself. They just kept staring for a while, and even Scorch managed to recover enough to creep across the room to Boss's side. After a few minutes, Sarah Maria had finished eating and had begun to get a bit drowsy. She stretched slightly, yawning quite adorably before snuggling up in the crook of Boss's arm. She was asleep in seconds. Boss stood, tucked her back into her little plasteel crate crib, then leaned back against his bunk and crossed his arms.

"This has got to stop," he said, an expression of seriousness crossing his face.

"What do you mean?" Fixer asked.

"She's got to have parents back on the world where we found her. We should return her to them."

"Boss, no!" Scorch cried, racing across the room and scooping up Sarah Maria. He cuddled her tiny sleeping form protectively. "You can't just get rid of her! She likes it here!"

"But she doesn't belong to us, Scorch," Boss replied tenderly. "Her parents are probably really worried about her."

"I don't care _what_ you screwballs decide to do with her," Sev interjected gruffly, "so long as I get some decent sleep sometime this week!"

With that, he rolled over in his bunk and pulled the blanket up over his head. Fixer followed suit, crawling up into the bunk right above Sev's. Scorch took a seat on the edge of his bunk, still holding Sarah Maria. He looked sadly up into Boss's eyes and gave something similar to a whimper.

"Can't we keep her?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Not even for a little while?"

"Well . . ." Boss sighed. "I guess a little while longer won't hurt. All right, you can have three more days. But then we have to go back to her homeworld and look up her parents, got it?"

"Got it," Scorch grinned.

Boss sighed again as he ran a hand through his hair and climbed into his bunk. The last thing he saw before he dozed off was Scorch bending down to lightly kiss Sarah Maria's little forehead before he tucked her back into bed.


	5. Day One

**Chapter Five - Day One**

"All righty, Sarah, let's try it again. Say 'Scorch.'"

"Skirch!"

"No, not Skirch. It's _Scorch_. 'Sierra-Charlie-Oscar-Romeo-Charlie-Hotel. _SCORCH_."

_"SKIRCH!!"_

Scorch heaved a sigh and sat Sarah Maria down on his leg. The two were sitting on the floor of the barracks, and he was trying to teach her everyone's nickname. So far, she had learned "Boss" and "Fixer," (though she pronounced it more like "Fizzer") but "Scorch" just seemed to elude her. She insisted on calling him "Skirch" instead. This embarrassed the poor boy quite thoroughly, for Boss was watching the scene unfold with great amusement, and he was certain that Fixer had put down the military manual he was reading to watch as well.

"Try getting her to learn 'Sev,'" Fixer suggested, dangling his legs casually over the side of his bunk. "That'll give ol' Pyscho a surprise when he comes in from training."

Scorch glanced up at him, shrugged, and turned back to Sarah Maria, who sat with wide eyes and an expectant grin. Her little hands were clasped tightly together as she waited for him to continue his instruction.

"All right, Sarah, say Sev."

"Sevvie!"

"Close enough!" he laughed.

She squirmed out of his arms and scooted around the room, squealing "Sevvie, Sevvie, Sevvie, Sevvie!" at the top of her lungs. Boss and Fixer chuckled, and Scorch smiled with pride. That smile only became wider when the barracks door hissed open and Sev, sweaty and tired from a long morning of advanced combat refresher courses, shuffled in. Sarah Maria skidded to a halt, spun around, and dashed across the room toward him.

"SEVVIE!" she squealed.

She slammed on the brakes at his feet, and her little arms shot skyward. Sev stared down at her, one eyebrow raised and both hands on his hips.

"What the fierfek is going on?" he snarled.

"She learned your name," Scorch beamed.

"SEVVIE!" Sarah Maria protested, thrusting her arms at him again.

"She wants you to pick her up," Boss explained.

With a sigh, Sev reluctantly knelt and scooped Sarah Maria up into his arms. She gave a squeal of delight as he set her on his shoulder, and he had to force himself not to grin as she ran her soft little hand across his scarred yet muscled jaw. Nevertheless, a tiny smile found its way across his face, and Scorch noticed it.

"Aww, how _cuuuuute_!" he cooed, chuckling.

Sev didn't reply with a nasty glare or anything. He just walked across the room with Sarah Maria sitting on his shoulders and tossed his gear under his bunk. Slipping Sarah Maria from his shoulders, he paused a moment to look her in the eye before tossing her high into the air. She shrieked happily as he caught her and did it again. After a minute, Sev set her down in her crate and patted her on the head as he headed for the 'fresher for a shower. Scorch took a glance at his chronometer, muttered something about having extra-curricular demolitions training in five minutes, then left the barracks. Fixer crawled back into his bunk for a quick cat nap, and Boss looked across the room to where Sarah Maria had poked her head out over the edge of the crate. Heaving a sigh, he rose from the edge of his bunk, walked over to her, and squatted down beside the crate. Sarah Maria scrambled out of the crate and up his arm to sit on his shoulder. Boss sighed again as he reached up to tousle her curly blonde hair.

"Why did you have to be so cute?" he mumbled.

Sarah Maria just latched onto his head and giggled.


	6. Sev and Sarah Maria

**Chapter Six - Sev and Sarah Maria**

Late that night, when the other Deltas were sound asleep, Sev was wide awake. He kept hearing a quiet whimpering sound coming from the other side of the room. Careful not to make a sound, he rolled out of his bunk and crept across the room to investigate. He glanced down to Sarah Maria's crate and found that she, too, wasn't asleep. Instead, her big blue eyes were as wide as saucers, and her bottom lip poked out a good bit. Sev knelt closer to her crate, and as he did, he noticed that tears streaked her chubby face.

"What's the matter, huh?" he questioned in a whisper. "Not feelin' too good?"

Sarah Maria reached up for him, and Sev picked her up without even thinking about it. She clung to his neck, and he rubbed her back for a minute, rocking her slightly.

"I'll bet you're missing your folks, aren't you?" he said. "You're lucky that you've got folks to miss. The others and I . . . Well, we just have each other, y'know?"

Sarah Maria gave a sniffle and turned her head slightly to look at the big commando who, at first, would have nothing to do with her. Despite his best efforts to the contrary, her eyes practically made him melt into a puddle of clone mush.

"Dang, you _are_ cute," he whispered, brushing his first two fingers through her mussed-up hair. "I get the feeling that getting rid of you is going to be hard."

Sarah Maria didn't start crying at the prospect of having to leave the Deltas in her very near future; instead, she gave an adorable little grin that made it seem to Sev as if she was aware that she'd wrapped the final Republic commando around her finger. Sev heaved a sigh, neatened her little pink dress, and set her back down in her crate.

"Now go to sleep, please. If the others find out I've been with you, I'll be the laughing stock of the entire GAR."

He turned to head back to his bunk, but Sarah Maria whimpered again. Turning to see what was wrong, he found her standing in her crate and reaching out for him with both chubby little arms. Sev sighed and returned to her, his hands on his hips.

"I thought I told you to go to sleep."

Sarah Maria whimpered a little more persistently, and Sev complied. He bent down, scooped her up, and set her to rest on his hip as he began to walk up and down the room.

"Y'know, _you_ are a troublemaker," he muttered. Sarah Maria just giggled. "So it's gonna be like that, eh? Well, two can play this game. If you won't sleep, then we're going for a walk around the compound. Everybody's asleep; they'll never have to know."

He chuckled to himself as he headed for the barracks door, slid it open, and sneaked outside. For the first time, Sarah Maria remained absolutely quiet, as if she knew what he was doing was completely illegal.


	7. Last Day Together

**Chapter Seven - Last Day Together**

When Sev returned to the barracks a few hours later, it was nearly morning. He opened the barracks door and ducked under, careful not to scrape Sarah Maria, who had found that sitting on his shoulders was great fun, off his back. As soon as he stepped into the barracks, he found the other Deltas dashing around the room, frantically searching for Sarah Maria. He watched with amusement for a minute, and even Sarah Maria seemed to understand that he had no intention of giving away the fact that they'd returned. From the doorway, Sev could see that Scorch was by far the most distraught of the squad, and his eyes kept darting around the room.

"Where could she have just disappeared to?!" he cried, spinning around and grabbing Boss's shoulders. "She's not big enough to wander out of the barracks by herself."

"Udesii, vod," Boss soothed. "We've already determined that Sev's most likely got her. Remember? He wasn't here this morning, either."

"That just makes it worse," Scorch moaned. "He didn't like her from day one. He might have tossed her in the waste bins!"

"Oh, I'm not _that_ homicidal, am I?" Sev interjected suddenly, striding into the room.

Scorch wheeled around, and his eyes immediately landed on a happily giggling Sarah Maria. He raced across the room, pulled her off of Sev's shoulders, and cradled her protectively.

"Ohh, don't you ever scare me like that again!" he cried, snuggling her up lovingly under his chin. "You had no right to scare Uncle Scorchy like that . . ."

Sev arched an eyebrow at the mention of 'Uncle Scorchy,' but then the Delta to whom that name belonged turned on him like a feral dog.

"Where have you been?!" he snapped.

Sev shrugged.

"I took her on a walk around the compound."

"You took her on a walk around the—?!"

Scorch gasped and growled under his breath before turning on heel and carrying Sarah Maria to his bunk to play with her for a little bit. Boss crossed his arms and sidled up to Sev.

"You're going to get us all court-martialed and shot, Sev."

"Oh, I don't think so," Sev smirked, winking across the room at Sarah Maria. "The security cameras mysteriously . . . shorted out just prior to our little promenade."

Nearby, Fixer nearly doubled over in laughter, and Boss chuckled.

"You are such a scoundrel, ner vod."

"Don't I know it," Sev answered, crossing the room to where Scorch was holding Sarah Maria. "But we had fun, didn't we, Sarah? We went to the rec hall and played for a bit, then we went by the mess hall to see if they had anything tastier than the mush she had last night, and we stopped by the armory to see the big ol' sniper rifle that Uncle Sevvie's gonna get next week, didn't we?"

He reached over and lightly tickled her under the chin, evoking a happy squeal from her. Scorch just stared at him, trying not to laugh.

"'Uncle Sevvie'?" he questioned.

Sev looked up and shot him a mean glare.

"Hey, if you can be 'Uncle Scorchy,' then I can be 'Uncle Sevvie.'"

Boss smiled slightly and leaned against the bunks. He crossed his arms across his chest and watched for a minute as Sev and Scorch argued over Sarah Maria. After a while, he spoke.

"You all know we're going to have to take her home tomorrow."

Scorch turned toward him, suddenly downcast.

"Tomorrow?"

"I'm afraid so. I know how much you all love her, but we can't keep her. She's not ours."

"She could be . . ." Scorch sighed, hugging her.

"But she isn't. We'll just have to take her home. We'll tell the brass we've got some unfinished business on her homeworld so we'll have an excuse to go back."

"Boss . . ."

"I'm sorry, Scorch. It just has to be done," Boss said, sounding somewhat sad as well. "I'll go get things ready for tomorrow."

As he left the barracks, they all fell incredibly silent. Even Sarah Maria seemed to sense the sudden feeling of dread that had befallen the Deltas, and she sat silently in Scorch's lap as Sev and Fixer each patted her little head. None of them wanted to let her go, but though they had never had families, they knew how they'd feel if _they_ were searching desperately for a child that four Republic commandos had been keeping. After a while, Sev stood up and retrieved his helmet from beneath his bunk.

"What are we sitting around moping for?" he asked, tossing the helmet up into the air and catching it. "Might as well get a little bit of playing in, right?"

He took a cross-legged seat on the barracks floor and nodded to Fixer, who followed his lead. They looked imploringly at Scorch for a minute before Scorch conceded and took his seat on the floor. Sarah Maria completed the square, and for the next two hours, they rolled Sev's helmet back and forth among them to the wonderful music of Sarah Maria's screeching laughter.


	8. Goodbye, Sarah Maria

**Chapter Eight - Goodbye, Sarah Maria**

The next morning was a sad one, for the Deltas found themselves sitting in a transport bound for Sarah Maria's homeworld. Boss had managed to convince their superiors that they needed to return to the planet to take care of some unfinished business, so they were on their way. They'd smuggled Sarah Maria onto the shuttle inside a bag of supplies, and once they were safely in space, they fetched her out. Scorch immediately latched onto her, quite unwilling to let her go. They were all quite somber for the entire trip, and even Sarah Maria was extremely quiet, as if she knew what was happening. When they were just about to enter the planet's atmosphere, Scorch finally piped up.

"Boss, if we can't find her parents, can we keep her?"

"No."

"But why?!"

"Because she's still not ours. If we can't find her folks, then we'll need to take her to the authorities."

"But she's like _my_ baby," Scorch lamented, nuzzling his cheek up against hers. She cooed contentedly. "I don't want to let her go!"

"None of us do, vod," Boss answered gently, reaching over to tousle her curls. "But we have to do what's right."

Silence. None of them said another word as their shuttle touched down in the city they'd been closest to when they'd found Sarah Maria. They all gave Sarah Maria last kisses and hugs before they slid on their helmets and concealed their faces. Sarah Maria appeared heartbroken that her four favorite people in the entire galaxy no longer had faces. She gave a whimper, but Scorch tucked her gently into his arms as they exited the shuttle. They had to walk about a mile to reach the city's main thoroughfare, and when they did, Boss turned to Fixer.

"Head off and look for any information that might tell us where we can find her folks," he said.

Fixer nodded and ambled off, trying to look as casual as possible. The others noticed that he still got a few odd glances from citizens, but they tried not to make too much of it. Only about five minutes passed before Fixer returned, carrying a piece of paper.

"I found this in the administration building," he said, handing it to Boss.

Boss looked the paper over, sighed, then began to read.

"'Missing: Eighteen-month-old girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. Last seen wearing a frilly pink dress. Her name is Sarah Maria. If you find her, please bring her to Brendan and Shana Yul. We live in the white farmhouse on the edge of town. Thank you.'"

Over the helmet comlink, they all could hear a muffled sob of despair from Scorch, and they saw his hold on Sarah Maria tighten considerably. Boss reached out and understandingly gripped his shoulder.

"We have to do it, vod," he said in a near-whisper. "Her parents are looking for her."

"I know," Scorch sighed. "It's just that . . . It's so _hard_. Like losing my own kid!"

Boss said nothing, but it was evident that he understood. Not saying another word, the group trooped off toward the white farmhouse at the edge of town. They could see it clearly even from the main street. Their steps grew slower and more hesitant as they drew nearer to the house, but Sarah Maria perked up, seemingly remembering it. Scorch just hugged her. In a few minutes which were all too short, they were at the front door, and Boss was knocking on it. A young woman soon opened the door, and she gave a start when she saw the Deltas standing there. Boss slipped his helmet from his head to show he was not a threat.

"Mrs. Yul?" he questioned.

"Yes . . . ?"

Boss motioned to Scorch, who reluctantly handed Sarah Maria to him. The woman gasped with surprise and relief when she saw the little girl, and immediately her hands strayed for her. Sarah Maria squealed upon recognizing her mother, and her chubby little hands shot out. Boss gently handed her to her mother, and the woman looked at him with grateful eyes.

"Oh, thank you!" she breathed. "Where did you find her?!"

"It's a long story, ma'am. You see, we were here on an assignment about four days ago and found her wandering in the woods. We took her back to base with us for a while before we decided to bring her back and try to find you. I'm almost afraid to admit it, but we all got pretty attached to her, so . . . do you mind if the boys say goodbye?"

"No, of course not. It's the least I can do since you brought her safely home."

Sarah Maria's mother handed her back to Boss, who gave her hair another ruffle before passing her to Fixer. Fixer lightly pinched her cheek, causing her to giggle as Sev took her. He sat her on his shoulders for a minute, and when he took her back down, she simply squealed "Sevvie!" Sev smiled underneath his helmet as he gave her to Scorch. Scorch hugged her little body as tightly as he could, and she clung to his armor. Soon, he gave her back to her mother.

"Afternoon, ma'am," Boss said, tipping his first two fingers to his brow as he snapped his helmet back into place.

They turned to go, and Scorch cast one last long, wistful look at Sarah Maria. Her little hands went out to him, and he wanted more than anything to go back and scoop her up. But he couldn't. He just turned away, trying not to think about her anymore. It was at that moment that she called out to him.

"Skirch . . ."

His heart broke into a million pieces, and he wept all the way back to the shuttle.


	9. The Vendor

**Chapter Nine - The Vendor**

About twenty years—give or take a few—passed, and the boys of Delta Squad ended up appearing to be about sixty. After the war's end, they raced off to the edge of space to avoid getting enslaved to the new Empire, so they were basically on the run for a good long time. They eventually came to rest on a peaceful little world on the Outer Rim that was home to simple people who lived in simple houses and shopped in simple, open-air bazaars. It was quite relaxing for them to wander through the marketplace, smelling all the curious new smells and seeing all the strange things there were to see. It was easier now for them to walk around in public, for they all wore civilian clothes and looked simply like four old men who'd been together since birth (which, truth be told, was as accurate a statement as could be). They still thought of Sarah Maria often, though they had long since decided never to return to her homeworld to look for her. They wanted her to grow up normally, but they did miss her "somethin' fierce," as Scorch often put it.

It was on one such day in the market that they discovered a new vendor who was selling various fruits and other luxuries such as candy. Their money heavy in their pockets, they decided to splurge a bit and buy some treats, which they did. But they noticed that the whole time they were conducting their business with the vendor, she kept casting strange glances at them. She never said a word except to inform them of the total amount of their purchases and to wish them a nice day, but as they turned to leave, it was as if a light bulb suddenly went off in her head. With a trembling voice, she hesitantly called out to them.

"It's 'Scorch,' isn't it? Sierra-Charlie-Oscar-Romeo-Charlie-Hotel?"

The Deltas stopped dead in their tracks and turned slowly to find themselves locking gazes with a pair of the brightest blue eyes. They sparkled like stars in a night sky, and while the rest of them stood there, staring, for a minute, Scorch inhaled sharply with recognition.

"Sarah . . ." he breathed, rushing over to her.

The two clasped hands, tears streaming down their faces. Sarah Maria threw her arms around Scorch's neck, hugging him. Not a minute later, the others raced up and joined in as one large group hug. After they pulled away, Sarah Maria stood in the midst of them, drying her eyes.

"I never thought I'd see you all again," she whispered. She reached up to lightly touch their graying hair. "You all look so . . . old . . . now."

"War does that to people," Boss chuckled.

Scorch hugged her again, and Sev and Fixer clapped her on the back as a little girl, not more than two, toddled out of the building behind the kiosk. Her curly blonde hair resembled Sarah Maria's, who stooped to pick her up. The little girl reached out for a minute to the Deltas, who smile broadly at her.

"Mommy, who's this?" she questioned, her big eyes shining curiously.

Sarah Maria turned and grinned at the Deltas, tears shimmering in her eyes again. She bounced her little girl slightly, pushing a golden ringlet back from the toddler's eyes.

"These, sweetie, are the four best men you'll ever meet."

The Deltas grinned wider than they ever had in their lives as they reached out and embraced Sarah Maria again. Boss just reached over and tousled the little girl's hair.

_The End._


End file.
